Retribution
by ObsessivelyOdd
Summary: When you've lost everything you ever cared about, even revenge begins to seem pointless. It's just a shame that Alex's enemies don't feel the same way. With a new hostile power rising, and MI6 drawing ever closer, can Alex stay free, and salvage something from the ashes of his life? Sequel to Reincarnation.
1. Prologue

_**A/N: So, how much do you all love me, then? I got this chapter finished and thought I'd set the scene for the rest of the story.**_

_**For those of you who don't know, this is the FOURTH in a series that starts with Past of Shadows, then Shadow of a Doubt and Reincarnation.**_

_**WARNINGS: For this chapter, none. But, most likely, given the general themes of this arc, extreme brutality, heart break, betrayal. SLASH IS DEFINITE. Possibly rape, but hopefully not. Essentially, this will start off as T but will no doubt move to M very, very, quickly. Also, language. For some reason I always forget the one.**_

_**And yes, another chapter of Dulce et Decorum is on the way, I promise. FFH is proving a little more difficult, but is coming. And Untitled is mostly mapped out now, I just need time to write it.**_

_**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing that you recognise.**_

_**-o-O-o-**_

The cell was small, moonlight washing everything out until it was a monotone grey and dull with it. There was nothing to focus on, nothing to keep his attention and without it, David found his focus straying.

How long had he been here now? It must have been weeks, at least.

They had had no idea how to treat him at first. He'd woken up in a hospital bed, with a man sitting in the corner of the room. David had immediately pegged him as an agent.

"_It's good to see you awake," the man murmured. "We were worried that the soldiers had hit you too hard for a while."_

_David grunted noncommittally and sat up._

"_Do you want to tell me your name, kid?"_

_David regarded the man carefully for a minute, then looked away._

"_OK, how about why you were at the school?"_

_David simply sighed and looked down. Maybe if he could make him look pitiful enough, they would take his lack of communication for some disability?_

"_Can you tell me anything?" asked the agent, and David finally looked at the man, his eyes large and dewy, his lips twitching as if he were trying not to cry. Idly, he wondered if Thanatos would be satisfied with his performance, and then the image of Thanatos' still form hit him like a tonne of bricks to the chest. _

_He let out a single, painful whimper and the man frowned. "I'm going to get a doctor."_

_He should have escaped then, but he was too busy reeling from the shock, grief howling inside him like a storm on the sea._

_By the time he had regained a semblance of control, they were back, his opportunity lost._

A few days later he had awoken in this cell, his ruse apparently played out.

No one had hurt him, he'd been fed regularly through a slat in the door and no-one had even asked him any more questions, but he hadn't seen a single human face since he was thrown in here, and it was starting to get to him.

He knew it was a favourite psychological torture tactic of MI6, designed to encourage the person to talk when they finally came into contact with people again.

Well, it wouldn't work with him.

-o-O-o-

Aimi looked around. The room was bare, and crowded.

She thought this might have been a hunting lodge once, but it had long stood abandoned. There was this room, a bathroom and a small kitchenette. The water and power had been easy enough to turn on and for the last two weeks, it had been a haven for the sixteen fleeing teens currently lounging in the room like so many sleeping lions.

Sixteen. Sixteen of them had escaped the school - all of her year were there, except David, plus a few of the younger years and one from the year above. Myles was as solid as a rock. Nothing fazed him and Aimi had found herself relying on him more and more over the past month. Even now he was pulling apart Madrid and another young student who had done nothing but fight each other since they fled. She sent him a thankful smile and then glanced down.

"We can't stay here," she said, quietly, and the room immediately fell silent. "The weather will turn soon, and we need to be gone when it does."

"Where do you think we should go?" asked Sasha, her voice still soft and musical, despite the hacking cough and sore throat she had finally admitted yesterday. Doc had torn her a new one for trying to hide it, then dipped into their rapidly dwindling supply of medicine to kick start the treatment for a chest infection.

As much as she valued Myles' unwavering support, she needed Sasha's constant watchful eye. The girl would not hesitate to call her out and more than once her intervention had saved them from disaster. She had quickly claimed the spot as Aimi's second.

"There's nowhere any less isolated than this that we won't draw attention," murmured Adam.

"I know," said Aimi, "and that is why we should split up."

"Why?" asked Sasha, but Aimi could tell she was playing the Devil's advocate.

"A group of sixteen teenagers without an adult, spread across different age groups will draw attention," said Aimi. "There are simply too many of us to fly under the radar - especially without an adult. But, if we split up, we can use any number of excuses. Most of us are old enough to pass without comment as long as we don't stay in one place too long. So, I guess, choose a partner."

Adan and Ciro didn't even bother to glance at each other, and no one sought them out. The fact that the brothers would be together was never even in question.

After what seemed to be an intense, silent debate, Marsha and Zahur nodded to each other, and Doc and Adam began talking quietly in the corner.

"I'll take the young ones," said Irryn. "The headmaster had a house in the South of France, under a pseudonym. I doubt he's alive to object, but if he is, I'll see him coming a mile off."

"How?" asked Aimi, raising an eyebrow.

"I hacked into his files at the school. It's how I found out about the house, and it means I know all of his pseudonyms. I'll flag them on the French no-fly list, and keep an eye on the trains."

Aimi nodded. "Okay, so you take these six-"

"Eva and I will be fine on our own," interrupted Madrid. The hand of the girl he had been fighting with was clutched firmly in his, making Aimi hitch an eyebrow in disbelief.

"You're just kids," protested Irryn.

"We're sixteen," argued Madrid. "And I was moved up to your class. We're old enough not to stand out on our own, and we can pass for older. As we're skilled enough to keep ourselves safe."

Aimi looked at them. Madrid, she had no worries about, but she hadn't had much contact with Eva. She was lithe, with dark olive skin, long brown hair and eyes of molten chocolate. She could pass for Madrid's sister if she had to, and her soft looks would help them out, assuming some pervert didn't try to kidnap her, expecting a submissiveness that could not have survived the academy.

"Okay," agreed Aimi. "Irryn, it will be easier to come up with a cover story without them anyway. But, you two stay in France, you hear? That way Irryn can help you out if you get in trouble."

Madrid and Eva nodded and Aimi moved on.

"Sasha..." she began.

"Forget it, Ai," said the girl. "I'll help Irryn get the younger ones to France, but I'm not sticking around."

"And then you plan to do what?" asked Aimi, impatiently.

"Head to England. We need Thanatos and that seems as good a place as any to start looking."

"We can't trust him, Sasha," she warned. "Someone at the school sold us out, and it could easily have been him."

Sasha waved a hand, carelessly. "I know. In fact, given the time between his arrival and the attack by the SAS, I'd say it probably was him. But, he taught us right. He didn't beat us, he didn't use us as his personal brothel - and god knows David would have been willing enough - and he taught us a lot in a short amount of time. He risked his life to save us from that man and gave us a way to escape the soldiers. Even if he did sell out the school, he didn't sell out _us_."

"And why England?"

"He was English," said Sasha. "He hid it well, but I've never heard anyone who wasn't English swear in the way he did."

"People _are_ more likely to slip up when they're pissed off," said Zahur, pensively.

"And if he's English, he probably started out there. He'll know it best and he'll retreat there when he needs to hide out."

"Assuming he isn't dead, or in league with the SAS."

"The SAS are British, anyway. And I don't think he's dead. He got us out: he could get himself out too."

"Alright," agreed Aimi softly. "I won't stop you. But you keep in touch. And that goes for the rest of you too. We may be splitting up, but we're still working together. And if any of you forget it, I'll hunt you down myself."

The group nodded and split up, a few heading outside to enjoy the last rays of the evening sun, others going to fix themselves a drink in the kitchen or moving into new groups to talk.

An arm slipped around her waist and she couldn't help but smile.

"So," asked Myles. "Where are we heading?"

-o-O-o-

"Matt! Darling, you're home!" exclaimed his mother, as soon as she answered the door. "How was camp?"

Camp. Right. That was what his father had said, right up until he had been inspected by Mrs Jones.

"It was great, Mum," he said. "Do you mind if I go to bed? I'm really tired."

"Of course not sweetie. You've had a long journey. I'll bring you up some dinner later."

"Thanks, Mum," said Matt, with a tight smile.

His Mum hesitated. "Matt, are you sure everything's alright? You look upset."

"Everything's fine, mum. I'm just really tired."

"Well, if you're sure," she said, doubtfully.

"I'm sure," said Matt, hugging her and turning to go upstairs. At the bottom of the staircase, he paused.

"I love you."

"I love you, too, darling," said his mum, a small frown marring her forehead. Matt smiled again and headed upstairs.

His dad came to see him later that night. Matt couldn't even look at him.

-o-O-o-

Bear grabbed the final piece of pizza and leaned back.

"I can't believe the Lions lost," groaned Eagle. "They were the better team!"

"It's not about what you have," said Bear, philosophically. "It's about how you use it."

Eagle glared. "I hate you."

"You wound me," said Bear, dryly, eating the pizza. "Where are Snake and Wolf tonight?" he asked, after a moment. "It seems like they're never around anymore."

"Wolf took Rider dying hard," muttered Eagle, sullenly. "I think he felt responsible or some shit."

"They were close for a while, weren't they? Before Rider turned bad. He's allowed to grieve."

"He was a criminal."

"But you still knew him when he was a kid," Bear pointed out. "Surely you have some regret that it ended up like this."

"It was his choice," said Eagle. "I was through making excuses for him a long time ago."

-o-O-o-

_**A/N: So, yeah, I'm sorry, no Alex or Wolf in this chapter, but give me time! And what did you think? Any ideas for what is to come?**_

_**Review and let me know!**_

_**Oddx**_


	2. Chapter 1

**_A/N: I am actually currently at work. Staying late again. But, I sort of needed a break and felt that you would all appreciate the update, so here is the next chapter. (It was already mostly written and on my phone. Don't worry. So it should be up to standard. Let me know if it's not!)_**

**_Thank you for all the wonderful reviews – you guys take my breath away, have I mentioned that recently? – and I'll be trying my damnedest to reply to as many of you as I can tonight. When I finish here. So, probably midnight or so. *sigh*_**

**_In other news, I have had two people, now, leave a review on this series saying that, while they love it, they have to stop reading because the stress is affecting their health. So, sorry, I think? Maybe I should start putting 'Not suitable for people with heart conditions, or pregnant women' at the start of the chapters. What do you think? Or pregnant men, I guess, but that doesn't actually happen and I really don't get mpreg. My inner scientist just kind of wants to hit someone at that point. And as always, exception to the rule: Pregnant Pause by Lampito. It's SPN and features Fred the non-existent ass-baby, which is just hilarious. In fact, just check out all of her work, if you like SPN. It's slightly hilarious. And adorable._**

**_Sorry, random plug over. I am going to post this, and then go and get coffee._**

**_DISCLAIMER: I own nothing that you recognise._**

**_Warnings: Swearing. Not suitable for people with heart conditions, or pregnant (wo)men._**

**_… Oh come on. I just had to. The warning isn't _****that****_ cheesy…_**

-o-O-o-

The first thing he knew was a blinding pain, a pain that seemed to set every nerve in his body on fire and yet was somehow centred around his abdomen. His breathing was coming in short, ragged gasps and he had to make an effort not to whimper. He knew there was another person in the room without looking and figured he had probably heard them moving while waking up.

"So you're awake then," said a quiet, familiar voice and Alex nodded without opening his eyes.

"I'm sorry about the pain, we don't have much medication, but didn't think you'd prefer to wake in a hospital, somehow."

Alex chuckled slightly, eyes still closed. "So you know me," he said. "I feel as if I should know you by your voice."

"It's been a while," said the man, calmly. "I'm not surprised you don't remember everything about me."

Alex heard heavy footsteps approaching, becoming clearer with the squeak of a door.

"Is he awake?" asked a gruff voice and Alex had to fight to keep surprise off his face. Wolf? He thought, incredulously.

"Ask him yourself," said the first voice, and suddenly the slight Scottish burr slotted neatly into place.

"I'll take that as a yes," said Wolf, grumpily. "Planning on opening your eyes anytime soon, man?"

"I don't know," said Alex cautiously. "The SAS are far too noble to beat a man who is lying down with his eyes closed. Who knows what kind of trouble I could get into if I opened them?"

Snake chuckled slightly and even Wolf snorted.

"Don't worry, you're safe. We didn't go to all the trouble of saving your life just to have you die on us now."

Alex opened his eyes, blinking slightly as they adjusted to the well lit room.

It wasn't what he had expected. For a start, it obviously wasn't a cell and there were no security measures that he could see. There wasn't even a camera. Given the fact that he was actually lying on quite a comfy bed, it appeared to be a spare bedroom in someone's house.

"Take these," ordered Snake softly, putting two white pills into his palm and passing him a glass of water. "They'll help with the pain."

Alex complied, then set the water down on the small cabinet beside the bed.

"What's with the lack of bars and restraints?" he asked, after a moment.

Snake chuckled again, though he fell silent as Wolf gave a heartfelt sigh.

Slowly, Alex twisted his head around to look at them both and raised an eyebrow.

"So I'm obviously not a prisoner. And I think you just saved my life. May I know why?"

"Once upon a time you were a hero," said Snake quietly. "Something happened to change that – to change you. We just want to give you another chance."

-o-O-o-

There was a long scratch along the screen of his phone, he realised with a frown, but at least it was on his bedside table.

After the argument earlier, he was surprised that they'd left it there. To be honest he was surprised to not have been kicked out on his arse.

It might have been ungrateful, considering they were the reason he wasn't waking up in a cell - and most likely the reason he was waking up at all - but the high-handed attitude that he needed _saving_ had slipped under his skin like a splinter. He was fine. Just because he'd realised how futile trying to be 'good' was, it didn't mean he needed to be saved. He was _happier_ like this.

_"You said no cheating!"_

_"No, I said _you_ couldn't cheat."_

God Dammit. He _was_ happy. He was rich, well respected and free to do whatever he wanted!

He carefully quashed the thought that he'd been happier living in a squat and dating James than with the multiple empty villas he now had, that he never visited.

Sighing, he turned back to the phone. As soon as he turned it on, he would find out what was going on in his world.

He fingered the power button idly while he thought. Did he really want to turn it on? It was nice, having this time out, if he was honest. It was probably the most relaxed he had been since he became a contract killer. But he knew he didn't really have a choice. Being unconnected was too risky. He turned it on, the familiar password screen coming up, and keyed in Thanatos' number as he was the most likely to receive news.

His phone began buzzing immediately, but he didn't get too excited. It was most likely just requests for hits. When it finally stopped vibrating, he picked it up. The first two were hits – the same man from different people, oddly enough. A politician who had been getting on some nerves, apparently. The third was a bit less mundane.

"Call me. G."

Another hit and then...

"We really need to talk. Call me ASAP. G."

Next came three more requests for hits – yet another on that politician, maybe he should call the guy and offer him his services as a bodyguard; the man would surely pay through the nose for it – and an opportunity to head the security of some super-villain and then another message from G.

"If you value your life, call me. And use a different number. G"

Alex frowned and quickly checked the rest of the messages. No more from G.

Quickly he rebooted the phone onto its emergency setting and keyed in G's number.

It rang just once before it was answered with a curt "yes?"

"G, it's me," said Alex, unwilling to put a name to himself despite the supposedly secure line. "You said I should call you."

"You!" hissed G. He sounded panicked. "Where've you been? I thought you were dead!"

"I got shot when the SAS attacked the school. Apparently MI6 sent in some little brat as a spy. A kid! Can you believe it?"

"You've got to be kidding me," said G, disgustedly.

"Anyway, what was so important that you needed to talk to me about?"

"Several of the largest and most powerful organisations have joined together to take out a list of the most problematic assassins and you're on the list. I shouldn't even be telling you this – I wouldn't be if you didn't make me so much money!"

"Who's on the list?" asked Alex, curtly.

"You, some guy called Crosshairs, the mercenary, Orion, Nyx..."

There were eight names in total, and all five of his pseudonyms had been named; by the time G had finished speaking, Alex was deathly pale.

"Who... who is part of the group?"

"They call themselves the 'Coalition'. Most of the European and American Mafias are members, as are several of the larger Snakeheads and the Triads."

"You've got to be kidding me," moaned Alex. "Ok, well thanks for the info, G. I think I'm going to have to drop off the face of the earth for a while so don't contact me, ok?"

"Ok, Thanatos. Good luck."

He hung up, annoyed at the lack of help.

His hands moving automatically, he transferred all the numbers on the phone to a micro SD card then removed it and crushed the phone underfoot. He would have to get a new one. It would cost him quite a bit as he had had to have it specially made in the first place and then had killed the maker to keep it secret. Once upon a time that would have bothered him, but not anymore. He did what was necessary.

What was currently necessary was getting the hell out of here and finding somewhere to go to ground, but he couldn't. He was realistic enough to realise he wasn't going anywhere until he'd healed up. And, he supposed, what better place to lie low than the house of his supposed enemy? No one would ever look for him here.

-o-O-o-

When Snake came by that evening with a tray of food, and more pills, he found Alex sitting cross-legged on the floor with a book in his lap. It didn't escape the soldier's notice that the assassin was conveniently placed right next to the window.

"I never took you for a reader," he commented, cautiously. More and more the young man was reminding him of a mistreated animal - untrusting and unpredictable.

Alex gave a small smile as lifted it up to reveal the cover - the Count of Monte Cristo. "I started it once in hospital, but never got to finish it," he explained.

"You do realise that there's a film of it, right?"

Alex waved a hand dismissively and carefully marked his place as Snake set the tray down on the bedside table.

"I wanted to apologise for earlier," he said after a moment. "It was ungracious of me. You saved my life and I am grateful for that. Thank you."

Again, Snake noted that the young man didn't admit to being wrong in what he said. Alex Rider, the soldier decided, was very tricky.

"So what's the damage?" the blond asked after a moment's silence.

"I had to remove part of your liver and one of your kidneys," said the medic. "You had severe damage to your abdomen and nearly bled out. You should most definitely not be out of bed."

Alex pulled a face, and Snake was suddenly reminded of the teenager Alex used to be - that, in reality, he had only recently stopped being.

"How old are you, now?" He asked on impulse, sitting down on the floor opposite Alex and leaning against the bed.

"Twenty-one," said Alex, cautiously.

Jesus. At twenty one, Snake had still been a student. He'd never even held a gun before.

"There's no way you did surgery here," Alex commented. "How did you manage it?"

Snake winced. It had been one of the most terrifying events of his life. He'd completed medical school, but had joined the army straight from there. He could sew up bullet wounds and set broken bones in the middle of a rain forest if he had to, but actual surgery was completely different. Snake had nearly given himself heart failure through panicking.

"There was a clinic not far from where we found you," said the soldier. "Well supplied, run down. It was locked but Wolf broke in. I did the surgery in a dingy back room with you unconscious on an exam table. We hooked you up to the IV and smuggled you back here."

"That's... kind of unbelievable."

"Any less so than performing invasive surgery in my spare bedroom?" asked Snake, wryly, and Alex conceded the point with a nod. "It took us three weeks to get you back here without anyone finding out about it, and it's the reason you aren't healing amazingly well. We kept you asleep throughout to try and negate the effect of the journey, but we ran out of all our drugs yesterday."

Alex winced. It looked like he was going through the next few weeks on those white pills that – while helpful – were nowhere near as effective as morphine.

"Why did you become an assassin?" asked Snake, unable to halt his curiosity.

Alex shrugged. "I had a very particular skill set. No governments were about to take me on and - after MI6 - I wouldn't have worked with them anyway. I had no formal qualifications to work with and needed to go to ground. It was the only option left open to me."

Snake paused and ran over the short speech.

"You equated becoming an infamous assassin with going to ground?" He asked, disbelievingly.

"Hey," said Alex, holding up his hands. "It makes sense when you think about it. Even when you _know_ that there is a sixteen year old capable of being an assassin, it doesn't occur to you to actually _look_ there."

"You're food is going cold," said Snake, frowning slightly. "I'll leave you to eat."

-o-O-o-

Over the next few days, the questions continued.

They'd trade off with one another from simple things like 'what's your favourite colour?' _("Green? Really? Please tell me you didn't join the army for the clothes_") to more complicated ones like 'Why didn't you keep in touch with Yuri?'

Inevitably, one of them would find an answer they didn't like, or a question they wouldn't answer, and the pseudo-conversation would stop for the day.

Snake quickly realised that Alex wouldn't answer anything about his life while working for MI6 and would only give minimal information about his family - "An uncle: Ian. He was a spy and an arsehole." - while he often found himself leaving after the brutally frank answers to questions about Alex's job.

Alex, for his part, asked broad, general questions to start with and then managed to avoid every touchy subject with the grace of a ballet dancer, apart from the one, awful, 'why did you join the military after graduating from med school?'

Today, they were talking about travelling - both of them did a lot of it for work, but modes of transport and favourite destinations were the order of the day.

But, after Alex's reply to 'worst mode of transport', the young blond fell silent, an almost wistful expression falling across his face.

"Is Wolf still here?" he asked, softly.

"No," admitted Snake. "He went home. He comes by every so often, though."

"Is he mad at me?" asked the assassin, and Snake almost stared at the vulnerable tone. His first instinct was to lie - he wasn't sure Alex would be able to handle the truth - but common sense over-ruled the impulse. He had been lied to so much already. It would surely hurt him more than the truth ever could.

"I don't know," he admitted, heavily. "He was, when you left. He was hurt and he was /furious/. But, I think he began to understand quick enough. I know the two of you were close."

"I... I guess it would be suspicious if he just moved in here. Does he- Why hasn't he come to see me if he drops by?"

"I don't know," said Snake again. "But I think he would have stayed here if it wasn't for Liam."

"Who's Liam?" asked Alex, with a slight frown.

"He's Wolf's fiancé. They started dating... Oh, it must be about four years ago now. They- Alex? Are you alright? Alex!"

-o-O-o-

**_A/N: So… how many of you want to kill me right now? What, I couldn't leave poor Wolf to pine at home for Alex for five years, never knowing if he was coming back. That would just be mean! Alex has no right to expect him to wait around. Doesn't mean he won't be upset, I guess. But it's Liam that I feel really sorry for. Maybe I'll set him up with LNS at the end. (Any guesses for who LNS is? Clouds, you do NOT get to tell everyone. J )_**

**_So yeah, review and tell me what you thought? Also, should this be Wolf/Alex, or Wolf/Liam and Alex/David? I may or may not have made up my mind at the moment. Hey, I could throw you all for a loop and have Wolf run off with Snake and leave Alex to marry Liam! :P_**

**_Anyways, I'll stop babbling now. The coffee machine is calling to me._**

**_Much love!_**

**_Oddx_**


	3. Chapter 2

**_A/N: Hi everyone! I have a new warning for you: Femslash. Nothing too graphic in this chapter, but it was enough to get my boyfriend flustered. Apparently I write it very differently from slash. So, yeah, tell me what you think? I'm interested, and slightly nervous._**

**_I'm also wondering if this will get me more "I'm not comfortable reading this" - or something distinctly less polite – than slash._**

**_Otherwise, usual warnings apply. No Alex in this chapter I'm afraid, but I think he sees Wolf again in the next chapter… Also, there is the possibility of Alex meeting Liam..._**

-o-O-o-

Sasha sighed with pleasure as she pulled back the shower curtain. And stepped out into the lavish bathroom. Funds had been a problem, for a bit, but a series of hits in the East of Germany for the local mafia had provided her with enough funds to last her for a while, even after the shopping trip they had been on to get clothes to replace the things they had left at the school. Irryn and the children had clothes for every occasion now, but Sasha had limited herself to what was practical: clothes that allowed movement, would keep her warm and dry and wouldn't stand out, but looked good enough to allow her to use her charms to manipulate people.

A bit of interesting train boarding had gotten Irryn, herself and the kids to France without detection, and if riding on the roof for a few miles had been rather uncomfortable, it had got them through the border without issue and, more importantly, without notice.

She was taking advantage of the luxurious villa for a few days, ostensibly to help Irryn and the kids settle in, but if she was honest, it had more to do with her desire to explore.

Yesterday, they had taken a look around the basement, which was actually more of an underground lab, than anything and Irryn had quickly upped its security. She had been in fits of glee when she found the computer room, and more so when she found a room that would have done a forensics expert proud.

"They aren't on the blueprints," she had informed Sasha. "And with a bit of work I can easily hide the entrance. I can supply you all with pretty much anything you need from here."

"Just don't blow yourself up," Sasha had smirked, remembering some of Irryn's attempts to improve the strength of various explosives back at the school.

"I haven't unintentionally blown anything up in years," Irryn had pouted, before they'd both dissolved into giggles.

With the kids, Irryn was calm and in control. Madrid and Eva had quickly claimed a room, then under threat of Irryn's raised eyebrow, claimed a room each. This left Niamh, a small, red-headed 12 year old who insisted she was as good as any boy and hadn't yet learnt the trouble men would try to cause her for saying that, and dark-haired, quiet Bethan to share a room, which Sasha thoroughly approved of. Bethan's sharp eyes would keep Niamh from getting into too much trouble, while Niamh's fire would keep Bethan from retreating too far.

The two boys, Eric and Luc, were bunking down in a small room at the back, that made Sasha wince at the barren decor, but the boys liked the bunks and the chests to keep the weapons in, and probably the fact that there was a football pitch right outside the window.

Irryn, of course, took the master suite and Sasha, given the option between sharing a large feather mattress or sleeping on the couch, chose to sleep there as well.

She wrapped the towel around her hair than grabbed one of the soft bathrobes hanging by the door. It was a little big for her, but she found she didn't mind as it just gave her more fabric to huddle down into.

"Are you nearly done in there?" came Irryn's light voice from outside.

"It's all yours," said Sasha, sliding open the door, and coming face to face with Irryn.

Her hair was the first thing Sasha noticed, the golden waves tumbling down over pale shoulders. Sasha didn't think she'd ever seen it down before and couldn't help but spare a mournful thought for her own straight-as-a-ruler ash blond hair.

The length of it pulled her eyes down, passed collar bones you could cut glass on to the dusky rose colour of the nightgown that Irryn had bought earlier.

Sasha blinked and snapped her eyes back up, to see Irryn raise an eyebrow.

"See something you like?" murmured the blond, as she brushed passed Sasha into the bathroom and closed the door.

Sasha swallowed against her suddenly dry mouth and bit her lip. That had most definitely been... Interesting.

Shaking her head, she dislodged the towel and rubbed her hair until it approached dryness, then slipped into a pair of soft grey joggers and a black tank top to sleep in.

She was just grabbing a hairbrush when Irryn emerged, and looking into the mirror as she brushed her hair gave the perfect excuse not to look at the blond as she climbed gracefully into bed.

"Do you want me to get the light?" she asked as she put down the hairbrush.

At Irryn's sleepy nod, she crossed the room and hit the switch before sliding under the covers herself.

She was just sliding into dreams of golden curls, when she felt lips press a kiss to her neck.

In the darkness, she smiled.

-o-O-o-

Dark eyes frowned at the newspaper, but Liam didn't think they were really seeing it. For a start, James hadn't turned a page in about half an hour.

Ever since his last deployment, James had been acting strangely. He hadn't spoken about it - he couldn't, national security being how it was - but Liam was worried. James hadn't managed to leave it behind when he came home this time. Liam wanted to ask, despite the high risk of arrest, but James seemed to actively not want to talk about it.

"Are you going over to Snake's again today?" he asked, quietly, flicking a curl of almost-black hair behind his ear and taking a bite of toast. His eyes never left his fiancé.

James grunted and Liam flinched. He hoped it wasn't something he had done. He'd been sure that it was the mission, but what if Liam was actually the problem?

Mentally, he began to go over the last few weeks, but then forced himself to stop. James had been trying to stop those habits for years now and, outwardly, he had succeeded. If Liam had to bite back the occasional apology, or panicked over messing up too badly for James to forgive him, his fiancé didn't have to know. It would only worry him.

"I need to get to work," he said, after he had finished his toast in the silence.

Finally, James blinked and looked at him. "Have a good day," murmured the soldier and Liam felt his heart lift in his chest and a smile spring to his mouth. "I love you," he blurted.

"Love you too," smiled Wolf, reaching up to pull the younger man into a soft kiss.

Liam smiled again, grabbed his coat, and left.

"I really do love you, Li," murmured Wolf, staring after the man's retreating back.

He folded up the paper and grabbed his coat. Snake might need some help.

-o-O-o-

Sasha sighed ruefully at the near-worshipful gaze Madrid was turning on her and Irryn. They had probably made his day.

He had, probably unfortunately, walked in on them kissing, Irryn on the counter with her denim-clad legs wrapped around Sasha.

"Are you hanging around for a few days, then?" he asked, diverting his gaze after a hard kick from Sasha.

Irryn set a cup of coffee down in front of her and followed it up with a full continental spread.

"Well, I could stay a few days, I suppose," said Sasha, her eyes widening at the food. "Where did you get all this?"

"There's a village a couple of miles away," said Irryn. "I found it when I went for a run this morning - while _you_ were still dead to the world, might I add."

"What can I say, darling," drawled Sasha. "You're just that good."

Irryn swatted the back of her head.

"Anyway, there was a bakery and a stall selling fruit. I did pick up the coffee, yoghurt and milk at the supermarket, though."

"I love France," said Madrid, reaching out to grab two pain au chocolate and half a baguette.

Irryn and Sasha stared for a moment as he began to shovel food into his mouth.

"Do you think he has a hollow leg?" asked Irryn, in morbid fascination, as the sixteen year old grabbed four apricots in one hand and dropped them onto his plate, without pausing in inhaling the food.

"We could cut it off and find out?" Suggested Sasha, tilting her head sideways.

Madrid flicked a V at them - a sign most of them had picked up from Thanatos - and muttered 'growth spurt' around another hunk of bread.

After a few more seconds staring, Sasha shrugged and reached over to the fruit bowl and snagged a few strawberries.

"Have you tried these?" murmured Irryn, holding out a peach. "They were my mum's favourite."

Sasha leant forward and bit into the fruit held to her lips.

She gave a soft moan as sweetness flooded her mouth, the juice running out at the corners

Irryn's eyes darkened, and she leant forward to lap the two trails of juice, which quickly transformed into a heated kiss.

"Well I wasn't expecting that," came an amused voice from the door. "But I think you're about to make Madrid's head explode."

Irryn jerked back and blushed at Eva's smirk.

"Sorry," she murmured, handing the rest of the peach to Sasha, who smiled and bit into the white flesh.

"I've never had a white peach before," she commented. "They're delicious."

Irryn nodded. "You can't really get then in Russia. It's too cold to grow them, and no-one seems to import them."

Eva grabbed a croissant and a yoghurt and took a seat next to Madrid, slumping against him.

"The kids are up, by the way. I imagine they'll be down in a minute."

"If you're staying here for a long time, you'll need to enrol them in a school," commented Sasha.

"They aren't going to like that," smiled Irryn. "And I'll have to keep training them as well."

"We didn't even finish our training," groaned Sasha.

"Well by the time I run out of things to teach them, you'll have found Thanatos, for me, won't you?"

"Anything for you, darling," joked Sasha, batting her eyes outrageously.

Irryn smiled, but her retort was interrupted by a beep from a tablet lying on the side. She crossed to it and tapped the screen, before holding the camera up to her face.

"Never seen a tablet with facial recognition," commented Sasha.

"An alumni programmed it when the iPad first came out," said Irryn. "The headmaster had the technology stolen."

"Nice of him," muttered Madrid.

"We're well out of there," sneered Sasha. "The man was a psychopath."

Eva snorted. "Our teachers were assassins. They were all psychopaths."

"Not Thanatos," said Sasha, stubbornly, with Madrid nodding emphatically in agreement.

"No," said Eva. "Thanatos was just broken."

Instantly three sets of eyes fixed on her.

"No he wasn't," said Irryn, quietly, forgetting about the tablet in her hand.

Eva shrugged. "Think what you want. It doesn't affect me, after all. But completely healthy, happy people are not world-class assassins when they're that young. Now why is the tablet beeping?"

Irryn glared at her for a moment longer then turned back to the tablet. "It's Aimi and Myles," she said after a moment. "They've found a temporary base and are requesting supplies, or contacts. I think contacts would be easier at the moment. I'll find them some later."

"Have you heard from any of the others?" asked Sasha.

"The twins updated me on their location. Adam and Doc haven't stopped yet from their last update, and neither have Zahur and Marsha. I think they're trying to get into Canada - they went east from the cabin and that was quite far into Russia."

"Where do the twins have contacts?" asked Sasha, curiously.

"The fewer people who know where we are the safer we'll be," said Irryn, and Sasha shrugged.

"I should head out this morning," said Sasha.

"You're not going anywhere until that cough goes," said Irryn. "You kept me awake half the night with that hacking and I don't want you keeling over on the journey. You'd draw too much attention."

"I can heal just as well in England as here," said Sasha.

"Sleeping God knows where, doing God knows what? No. You'll stay here and help me get the kids settled."

"Hey! Watch who you're calling kids!"

"And finally the monsters emerge," muttered Eva, staring into her pale coffee.

"And we're not monsters either," declared Niamh a she strode into the kitchen, Bethan trailing behind her.

"Well, I'm not, at least," teased the brunette, grinning at Niamh's glare.

"Anyway," continued Niamh, turning back to the older teens. "If you're worried about the cough, I picked these up at a doctors yesterday." She dropped a packet of pills on the table. "I'm fairly sure they're what Doc recommended, but you can always check with him."

"Great!" exclaimed Sasha. "I'll take some before I leave."

"Aah! No! You will _sit_! Until I've talked to Doc, _then_ you will go to _bed_ and drink _tea_ until I say otherwise," snapped Irryn.

Sasha sighed and glared down at the table.

"So, when did you start sleeping together?" asked Niamh. "Or have you always acted like an old married couple?"

-o-O-o-

Sasha wasn't quite sure who won that argument, but after two days of pills, and bed rest and hot tea and sitting in the bathroom with the shower going, she was on her way, with strict orders to stay warm and take her meds.

She did admit that she felt a lot better, and her cover of a private courier would let her pass between the two countries frequently. With two days, Irryn had managed to make it rock solid.

She boarded the train in Paris and settled in for a long train journey.

She never noticed the man watching her from the platform.

-o-O-o-

**_A/N: So, who do you think was watching Sasha? It's not an OC, and it's someone that hasn't been in the story before, although he might have been mentioned._**

**_Please review. I promise I'll update soon if you do!_**


	4. Chapter 3

**_A/N: Hi! Good news people, I'm back at uni – no full time job to keep me away from you! And here is the next chapter! (Also, the chapter after this is already written, so it really shouldn't be too long!)_**

-o-O-o-

Snake didn't say anything as he pulled open the door and let Wolf in.

Instead he led the way through to the kitchen and leant back against the counter.

"Why are you here, Wolf?" he asked, after a moment.

Wolf blinked. "You need help with Alex."

"Really?" asked Snake, sceptically. "Then why haven't you been to see him? Why do you skulk down here all day?"

"I do not skulk!" protested Wolf.

"You _begged_ me to help you save him, Wolf. You _begged_ me. And now you're trying to act as if he means nothing to you."

"He doesn't," snarled Wolf.

"So why did you want to save him?" sneered Snake. He had no patience for people this far in denial.

"Because MI6 promised him freedom and a pardon for all crimes committed, but had no intention of keeping it."

"And why do you spend every day here?"

"Because he's dangerous. You shouldn't have to be alone with him all the time."

"He's not going to kill me on a whim, arsehole! He's too logical for that. Too goddamn logical for everything if you ask me. But, I think you already knew that."

Wolf scowled.

"Go," said Snake. "Go, take a walk. Cool off and get your head on straight. Then go and see him. While you're up there, you can try and find out why he punched through a wall when he found out you were engaged."

-o-O-o-

Barely five minutes after Wolf had stormed out of the door, Snake found himself trudging up the stairs with two cups of tea. Alex was sitting on the end of the bed, arms resting loosely on his spread knees, picking at the stitches on his knuckles that Snake had put in.

Snake sighed. "Don't do that, Alex."

Alex glanced up guiltily and snatched his hand away.

"Let me see," said the medic, wearily setting down the mugs and kneeling in front of the blond. He reached for the injured hand and checked it over, but no serious damage had been done to his handiwork. "It's fine," he said. "Now leave it alone."

Alex nodded and reached for the tea, passing one cup to Snake as the soldier settled on the bed beside him.

"So I spoke to Wolf," said Snake.

"I don't want to talk about him," said Alex. Intellectually, he knew Wolf would have – should have – moved on but that didn't stop it hurting, especially when he compared it to his own string of one-night stands, most of whom never knew him name, or anything about him. Most of whom didn't care to find out.

What did he really have? Respect from people he despised, money he had no use for, and a protégé stuck in a cell in MI6.

"Alex," sighed Snake, resting a hand on the young man's shoulder. "I-"

Warm lips pressed to his own, interrupting him, and his mouth dropped open in surprise. Probably not a good idea as Alex took advantage to sweep his tongue experimentally forward before the soldier pulled back.

"Alex…" he began, but was interrupted by a voice from the door.

"What. The. Fuck?" asked Wolf, disbelief dripping from every syllable. "You're upset over me moving on, but apparently happy to screw anything that moves yourself?"

Alex snarled and leapt off the bed. "Oh, fuck you, Wolf. What fucking business is it of yours who I screw?"

"I saved your _life_."

"So that gives you control of my body? I can't _believe _you."

Snake beat a hasty, unnoticed retreat.

"Anyway, if it wasn't for Snake I'd still be bleeding out," snapped Alex, striding towards Wolf, until they were standing nose-to-nose.

"Oh, so you were simply paying _him_ off with your body?" sneered Wolf and Alex punched him.

"Fuck. You," snarled the blond, before Wolf punched him back. Alex growled and lashed out with a leg, sending Wolf to the floor, and himself when Wolf grabbed onto him.

"You – Little – Shit," snarled Wolf, as Alex drove a fist into his stomach without bothering to get up. The soldier drove an elbow into Alex's ribs and gave a snarl of satisfaction at the crack of breaking bone.

Alex gave a feral laugh and rolled them over so he was on top.

"Getting slow, Wolf," he said. "Weak."

"I'll show you _weak._"

Wolf meant to punch him. He really did. How he ended up kissing the blond was something he didn't understand.

Alex snarled under his lips and kissed him fiercely back.

-o-O-o-

Wolf looked down at the young, panting, thoroughly debauched man next to him and sighed.

"This shouldn't have happened. I love Liam. And he deserves more than this."

Alex winced slightly as he sat up.

"It's fine," he sighed. "I… guess we just needed to… I don't know. Relieve the pressure."

Wolf grabbed his trousers and slipped them on. Alex was still having a few motivational issues with sitting up, after the first really taxing exercise he'd had since getting shot. The bullet wounds were burning and he was fairly sure he'd broken the stitches on his knuckles – most likely on Wolf's jaw.

"It's fine if you and Snake-" began Wolf, awkwardly, but Alex cut him off with a short laugh.

"Snake was definitely _not_ interested," he said. "Fuck it, I need a cigarette."

Wolf shuffled through his pockets and chucked over an almost-new packet of Marlborough. "Took these off Eagle last week. He's trying to quit."

"Thanks," commented Alex, palming the pack after slipping one into his mouth. "Got a light?"

Wolf shook his head and Alex sighed. "Knew it was too good to be true. A shag and a cigarette? Doesn't happen."

"I'll see you around," muttered Wolf.

"What the fuck was that?" Snake yelled at him downstairs, but Wolf skirted passed with a hurried 'ask Alex,' and slipped out of the door.

Right, thought Snake. Ask Alex, was it? Well then, he bloody well would.

Asking Alex would have been quicker if he hadn't walked on the blond lying naked on the bed, wiping his stomach with a pair of boxers that some portion of Snake's stalled brain had assigned to Wolf as Alex was currently wearing Snake's clothes and they definitely weren't his.

"Got a light?" asked the blond, and Snake blanched at the unlit cigarette hanging from his lips.

"Ah, here," he stammered, throwing over a lighter, before beating a hasty retreat. He could hear Alex chuckle from in the room.

"Alright," Alex called, a few minutes later. "It's safe now, I promise."

Snake stepped gingerly through the door, relieved to see that the rumbled blankets had been straightened and Alex was once again fully clothed.

"So," said Snake, avoiding the bed. "You and Wolf…"

"Was a mistake," said Alex. "He loves Liam and no doubt he's a good kid. Not some screwed up assassin."

"That's one hell of a mistake, to have sex with someone you knew as a kid," said Snake, neutrally. "The fight, I half expected. It was clear that you and Wolf had some issues to sort out and you're both trained in combat. But it's one hell of a step from punching someone to shagging them."

Alex took a drag of the cigarette. "If you've got a point, then make it," he said, lowly.

"How long was he fucking you for when you were a kid?"

"I was sixteen," said Alex, rolling his eyes. "It was legal. And by that point I'd already killed people. It would be kind of fucked up to say I could do that and not have sex."

Snake was silent for a long while.

"How did it start?" he asked, eventually.

"I dunno. It just did."

"I don't believe you."

"It's not like we planned it!" snarled Alex. "It started before I remembered who I was. I just… didn't see the need to stop, after I found out. Then Yassen kidnapped me, and everything went to hell."

It worried Snake that Alex couldn't look at him when he talked about it. It was years ago. Surely the man would have gotten some counselling by now? On the other hand, given that he was probably wanted in every country in the world, it may not have been possible.

Fuck. How much of Alex's current persona was due to necessity and abuse during his teenage years?

"We… after… MI6 kidnapped him. I had to get him back but didn't realise it was them. Mrs Jones told me, in the end. I used MI5 against them and we got back together. Right up until they found out I'd tortured people for the information I needed. MI5 wanted to arrest me and Wolf couldn't stand to look at me. So I left. Five years later, this happens."

"You tortured people?" asked Snake, aghast. "When you were sixteen? How did you know what to do?"

"It's easy enough to work out how," sneered Alex. "Scorpia taught me some when I was undercover with them. Being tortured taught me more."

"Fuck," muttered Snake, running a hand over his face.

"Regretting saving me, now?" sneered Alex and Snake finally recognised the defence mechanism for what it was.

"I don't know," said Snake. "I don't like what you do, but I can't believe you deserve to die."

"Yeah, well, quit trying to save me. It's not worth it."

-o-O-o-

**_A/N: So… erm. Yeah. Not sure if this is my way out of Wolf/Alex or into it… guess we'll find out. What did you all think? Please review and let me know!_**


End file.
